1962 – Catcher John Bateman is inked to a free agent contract. The hulking catcher leads the team in home runs and RBIs in 1963 but his career year comes in 1966 when Bateman puts up a .279 average with 17 homers, 24 doubles and 70 RBIs – all career highs. He hits .228 over six seasons in Houston (1963-1968). Bateman dies in Sand Spring, TX at age 56 on December 3, 1996.
1962 – An architect offers a proposal to encase Candlestick Park in a plastic screen “saran cloth” to shield it from the wind.
February 20, 1962, New York Mets Manager Casey Stengel announces 65-year old Rogers Hornsby will be the New York Meta hitting instructor and third base coach. Hornsby batted .424 for the 1924 St Louis Cardinals and hit over 400 for five seasons and unmatched mark in history. The ‘62 Mets posted a team batting average…
February 17, 1962 The newly-formed New York Mets head out for their first Spring Training workout in St. Petersburg, Florida. In a black and white world, they were a colorful team. Led by manager Casey Stengel (#37), they would go on to have a won-loss record of 40-120, and finish dead last (10th place) in…
1962 – The first Houston training camp begins in Apache Junction, AZ. The fledgling Colt .45s would finish with a 14-7 spring record, best in the majors – a testament to what 40 guys can accomplish when none of them are assured of employment.
Before the start of spring training, Don Zimmer and right-hander Bob Miller, both who reside in the St. Pete area, become the first players to don a Mets jersey when they model the club’s away uniform tops for a photo shoot at Huggins Field. The expansion team’s inaugural third baseman, who will be traded to the Reds in May for southpaw Bob Miller, poses with his nine year-old son Tommy on his shoulders.
February 9, 1962 – The mayor of Burlington, Wisconsin, filed charges against the city’s police chief for allegedly fixing a speeding ticket given to Eddie Mathews more than a month ago. Mathews was charged with driving 37 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone. Mathews works in the off-season doing public relations for a…
1962 – The Federal Trade Commission accuses Topps Chewing Gum of illegally monopolizing the baseball card industry. In 1980, a court decision will open the door to competition.
The Boston Red Sox hire former Indianapolis Clowns scout Ed Scott as their first full-time black scout.
Lawyer Melvin Belli obtains a writ laying claim to Willie Mays, among other assets, unless the San Francisco Giants pay him the judgment awarded by a jury in January. Belli claims the club failed to file a motion for a new trial before the deadline.
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